Free PaintTool SAI Alternatives

The best free alternative to PaintTool SAI is Krita, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to PaintTool SAI and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to PaintTool SAI are MediBang Paint, FireAlpaca, MyPaint and ibis Paint X.

PaintTool SAI alternatives are mainly Digital Painting Tools but may also be Image Editors or Photo Editors. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of PaintTool SAI.

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PaintTool SAI

135

Paid • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool
Windows

PaintTool SAI is high quality and lightweight painting software, fully digitizer support, amazing anti-aliased paintings,...

Learn more about PaintTool SAI

Krita
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
Windows S
Android Tablet
PortableApps.com
Steam
Epic Games Store
138 alternatives to Krita
Krita is a professional Free and open source (FOSS) painting program. It is made by artists that want to see affordable art tools for everyone within concept art, texture and matte painters, illustrations and comics.
Suggest and vote on features
Krita Features
1. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in Krita, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
2. LightweightKrita consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
3. Non Destructive EditingKrita allows you to make changes to a file without overwriting the original data, which remains available in case you want to revert to it.
4. Support for LayersKrita supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
5. Drawing Tablet SupportKrita supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
6. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in Krita.
7. Color PickerKrita allows you to select and copy a color property from an image, object, or shape.
8. Support for CMYK ModeKrita allows you to work using the color scheme for printing, combining the primary pigments (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key).
9. Pressure SensitivityKrita can change attributes like thickness or opacity, based on how much force you apply to your stylus/finger.
Digital Drawing
Blending brushes
Drawing 2D
Color blending
Digital-painting focused
Advanced brush settings
Sketching
Texture painting
Customizable
Adjustment Layers
Krita vs PaintTool SAI
Most users think Krita is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
Very advanced program that is absolutely free, only downside is that it's not as lightweight as SAI
Top positive comment• ago

6

Guest
It has animation features, fullscreen support, and works well
Top positive comment• ago

8

Guest
Too glitchy and too hard to use. It will zoom in and out randomly making it hard to draw.
Top negative comment• ago

-2

Guest
It has many capabilities, and I've seen people's work using this. It's amazing to work in and is good in animation features.
Positive comment• ago

0

Guest
I realy like krita, it's a good alternative for paint tool sai even on windows, recomended!
Positive comment• ago

1

Guest
I have an older version of Krita, and I love it! It offers more brushes and options than most programs but it can be overwhelming at first. I totally recommend it. But I'm so accustomed to it that the newer one is hard to figure out. It's closer to photoshop than paint tool sai.
Positive comment• ago

0

Guest
lacks a lot of fuctions and runs really bad even on a mid high end pc.
Negative comment• ago

-15

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7 of 12 comments
MediBang Paint
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
71 alternatives to MediBang Paint
MediBang Paint is a lightweight software for illustration and making comic books on Windows and Mac OS.
Suggest and vote on features
MediBang Paint Features
1. Pressure SensitivityMediBang Paint can change attributes like thickness or opacity, based on how much force you apply to your stylus/finger.
2. Keyframe AnimationCompositions can be keyframed in MediBang Paint, allowing you to change the parameters over time.
3. Support for LayersMediBang Paint supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
4. Drawing Tablet SupportMediBang Paint supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
5. Dark ModeMediBang Paint supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
6. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in MediBang Paint.
7. LightweightMediBang Paint consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
Multi-choice brushes
Digital-painting focused
Color blending
Pen Stabilization
Category Filters
Blending brushes
Texture for brushes
Gradients
Comic templates
No Subscription
MediBang Paint vs PaintTool SAI
Almost everyone thinks MediBang Paint is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
I usually use it and I really like the way the lines look like. But now it's a little bit complicated to cope with all the brushes and drawing in digital programs.
Top positive comment• ago

3

Guest
it has features sai dosent have
Top positive comment• ago

2

Guest
the app is filled with a bunch of tools and not enough explaniton
Top negative comment• ago

-1

Guest
I love the dark UI and how organized it is
Positive comment• ago

-1

Guest
Cause paint tool said is cool and now it's gonna be cooler
Positive comment• ago

0

Guest
It is a mix of Photoshop and Paint Tool SAI. I really like that.
Positive comment• ago

0

Guest
It has many great functions, you can share with others, and, it's just very very convenient and amazing.
Positive comment• ago

0

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7 of 14 comments
FireAlpaca
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Mac
Windows
130 alternatives to FireAlpaca
FireAlpaca is the image editor that can be used readily and easily. We made it possible to provide the completely free download, in order for our products to be experienced by more users from all over the world. It is available for both Mac and Windows users!
Suggest and vote on features
FireAlpaca Features
1. Support for LayersFireAlpaca supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Smooth lines
Digital Drawing
User friendly
Blending brushes
Multi-choice brushes
Drawing Board
Tablet support
FireAlpaca vs PaintTool SAI
Almost everyone thinks FireAlpaca is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
FireAlpaca is good. Can be easier to draw with pentablet
Top positive comment• ago

0

Guest
Firealpaca is much easier to use! It's simpler to find your way around and it's completely free for mac and windows! It's also great because it has regular updates so you know it's always gonna get better. You can animate on it and use masks, references and palettes.
Top positive comment• ago

4

Guest
FireAlpaca is good, but it doesn't seem similar enough. Plus it has a weird Alpaca brush.
Top negative comment• ago

-4

Guest
The tools are similar and the sensitivity to pressure brushes seems good as well. And it's free!
Positive comment• ago

1

Guest
Antialiased lines almost as good as SAI and the best brush engine of all competitors regarding flexibility and edition through easy to learn scripting.
Positive comment• ago

1

Guest
Has just about anything you could want, including pressure sensitivity, layers, and a variety of brushes. There's even an onion skin mode for animation! :D
Positive comment• ago

1

Guest
easy to start, and very user friendly. It may not sync very well but very fun to play around with.
Positive comment• ago

0

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7 of 9 comments
MyPaint
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
PortableApps.com
124 alternatives to MyPaint
MyPaint is a fast painting program with an emphasis on full-screen use. It lets you focus on the art instead of the program. You work on your canvas with minimum distractions, bringing up the interface only when you need it.
Suggest and vote on features
MyPaint Features
1. Support for LayersMyPaint supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
2. Drawing Tablet SupportMyPaint supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
3. PortableMyPaint can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
4. Distraction-freeMyPaint has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
5. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in MyPaint.
Sketching
Infinite canvas
Color blending
Fullscreen support
MyPaint vs PaintTool SAI
Most users think MyPaint is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
Guest
There aren't as many functions as PaintTool SAI
Negative comment• ago

3
ibis Paint X
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool
Image Editor
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
HUAWEI AppGallery
iPad
Windows
40 alternatives to ibis Paint X
ibis Paint is an easy yet powerful drawing app made with tools for sketching manga right at your fingertips.
Suggest and vote on features
ibis Paint X Features
1. Pressure Sensitivityibis Paint X can change attributes like thickness or opacity, based on how much force you apply to your stylus/finger.
2. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in ibis Paint X.
3. Support for Layersibis Paint X supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Color blending
Extract Drawing
Text tool
Realtime magic wand tool
Texture for brushes
Blur Filter
Brush Stabilizers
Pen Stabilization
Gradients
Creating colors
ibis Paint X vs PaintTool SAI
Almost everyone thinks ibis Paint X is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
all • positive • negative relevance • date
Guest
The app is very functional :) So many brushes and options. Maybe at the beginning everything's a bit complicated, but if get used to it it's very easy and effective. Also there's a chance of learning so many methods and styles of drawing by the new features and even from other artists. I definitley recommend this aplication :3
Top positive comment• ago

4

Guest
It's like medibang, but you don't have good stabilization and stuff like that. it's a simular.
Top positive comment• ago

0

Guest
Has a lot of features and the ones that are locked can be all unlocked at once if you watch one add, really good alternative but sadly it's only for phone users
Positive comment• ago

1

Guest
It is a good alternative for people who use phones, but it is not for PC users like me.
Positive comment• ago

4

Guest
It's a little complicated in the beginning, but after a time it's easy to use. It has a lot of tools and things like that, it's incredible
Positive comment• ago

4

Guest
it seemed complicated at first, but I learned to use it. I like all the brush choices and filters,
Positive comment• ago

2

Guest
Very easy to use once you get the hang of it, and it has many useful tools. Some parts are a little tricky, but it's pretty good for digital art.
Positive comment• ago

2

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7 of 11 comments
Photopea
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Photo Editor
Online
103 alternatives to Photopea
Online photo editor, which can work with PSD, XCF and Sketch files (Photoshop, Gimp and Sketch App). Convert between PSD, XCF, JPG, PNG and many other formats.
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Photopea Features
1. Support for LayersPhotopea supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
Web-Based
Open PSD files
Vectorize raster images
Sketch to PSD
Photoshop-like
Realtime magic wand tool
Import from Sketch
Browser-based
Photographic filters
Free API
Vectr
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Vector Graphic App
Image Editor
Graphic Design Tool
Windows
Linux
Online
Chrome OS
88 alternatives to Vectr
Vectr is a free graphics editor. Vectr is collaborative like Google Docs, and runs both in your web browser and on your desktop as a native app. With an intuitive interface, Vectr is easy to learn and use.
Suggest and vote on features
Vectr Features
1. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in Vectr simultaneously.
2. Works OfflineVectr can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Web-Based
Extensive settings menu
Convert images to PDF
Image Sharing
SketchPort
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Digital Painting Tool
Online
33 alternatives to SketchPort
SketchPort is an online drawing community with free software for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. Draw, chat, vote, be inspired, be challenged and earn badges!
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SketchPort Features
Google Drive integration
SketchPort vs PaintTool SAI
Most users think SketchPort is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
Tayasui Sketches
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Mac
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
68 alternatives to Tayasui Sketches
Sketches is a perfect mix of beauty, simplicity and power, a truly unique combination you won't find anywhere else.
Suggest and vote on features
Tayasui Sketches Features
1. Distraction-freeTayasui Sketches has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
2. Drawing Tablet SupportTayasui Sketches supports the use of external drawing tablets as input devices.
3. Support for LayersTayasui Sketches supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
4. Custom BrushesYou can use modified/custom brushes in Tayasui Sketches.
Apple Pencil support
Automatic brightness dimming
Open PSD files
Support for styluses
Color blending
Sketching
Tayasui Sketches vs PaintTool SAI
Most users think Tayasui Sketches is a great alternative to PaintTool SAI.
Guest
Tayasui Sketches is a great app for painting and drawing, but it doesn't have the animation features I was looking for.
Positive comment• ago

1
Pixelitor
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Image Editor
Digital Painting Tool
Photo Editor
Mac
Windows
Linux
117 alternatives to Pixelitor
Pixelitor is a cross-platform raster graphics editor written in Java. It supports image filters, drawing, layers, multiple undo, etc. Currently its main strength lies in the more than 70 image filters and color adjustments, some of which are unique.
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Pixelitor Features
1. Support for LayersPixelitor supports the organization of elements through a hierarchical order that can be manipulated/viewed independently.
2. Works OfflinePixelitor can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Image Processing
Sketching
Java based
Image Filters
Photo effects
Photographic filters
Retouch photos